Professor Owlan was keeping a close, hopeful watch for Link and Zelda. His stormy eyes scanned the clouds eagerly, until at last he caught sight of Link and his crimson Loftwing, though he was saddened and worried to see that Zelda was not with him. He called to Horwell and Gaepora, and the three met Link outside the Knight Academy. Their excitement to see him was quickly doused when they saw that he had been badly hurt. His upper chest and lower lip were split open, and he grimaced as he held onto his side. He struggled to dismount his bird, needing to be stabilized by Professor Owlan to keep him upright. Gaepora graciously took the stone tablet from him. Before anyone could notice, they rushed Link to Gaepora's quarters.
"Where is Zelda?" Gaepora inquired. "I understand she's not with you, but were you able to at least find her?"
Link fought through his pain and told them all he could, from his experience at the Sealed Grounds, to the old woman in the Sealed Temple, the Kikwis, Skyview, and, of course, Ghirahim. Gaepora paled at the thought of Ghirahim pursuing his daughter after seeing what he had done to Link.
"So, you do not know where Zelda is?" he asked flatly.
Link shook his head.
"And that demon... person... is still out there trying to find her?" Gaepora asked, a hint of frustration seeping into his tone.
Link lowered his head but gave no response. The sense of guilt and shame he felt for returning without Zelda was mounting once more, fertilized by the understandable yet harsh tone in Gaepora's voice. Owlan, unbeknownst to Link, drew Gaepora's attention to Link's demeanor, as if to warn him to watch his tone. Gaepora sighed, composed himself, and approached Link.
"Link," he began softly, "I appreciate all you've done to help find Zelda so far." He reached out to put a hand on Link's shoulder, but stopped short when Link pulled back. "I have absolute faith in your strength and courage. You will bring her home, and we will help you however we can."
"And we will start by getting you well again," Horwell chimed in. "Can you tell us more about your injuries?"
Fi came forth from the sword and detailed the severity of his fractured rib, much to the horror of the three men. They agreed Link would remain on Skyloft for one full day. He was given a bottle of red potion, made from the finest plants and minerals of all the sky islands, to greatly accelerate his healing. He cringed as he downed the thick, gritty, bitter-tasting potion in one gag-worthy gulp. That night, he drew a bath as cold as he could tolerate. Though it pained his fractured rib to do so, he held his breath and laid beneath the water. The frigid water muted the world around him, allowing for Ghirahim's scathing and terrifying words to play over in his mind loudly and repeatedly.
"If her life depended upon it, you both would be dead by now."
The moment Ghirahim struck Link, fracturing his rib, flashed before his eyes over and over again. The more he thought about it, the more his side cried out in agony. All of this, however, paled in comparison to the realization that...
... Ghirahim was right.
Link possessed neither the skill nor strength required to save Zelda, should she need him to. He asked himself, was he truly being courageous, as Gaepora had said? Or was he being foolish for running headfirst into such dangers? His lungs began to ache. He emerged from the icy water with a sharp gasp. His cold body trembled violently as the icy water dripped from his hair and skin. Still, after a few shaky breaths, he submerged himself again, falling into the torturous mental spiral once more. He needed to get stronger, and fast, if he was going to help Zelda.
Early the next morning, Link visited Gondo at the Bazaar and paid him to reinforce his shield. He marveled when it was finished. It was now twice as heavy, and he felt significantly more protected wielding it. Afterwards, he went to the sparring hall to enlist the help of Eagus. Eagus trained all knights in sword-based combat. Link had recently begun taking private lessons with Eagus but was still considered a novice, having learned only the most basic of skills. Link spent the morning hours practicing and sparring with Eagus, absorbing every ounce of knowledge and technique he could. Every so often, he was interrupted by a jolt of sudden, stabbing pain. The potion was working, but had not yet healed him completely. He instinctively grabbed his side and winced, dropping his sword as the abrupt wave of affliction shocked his body.
"Are you alright?" Eagus asked, growing more concerned by the moment. "We can take a break."
"No. I want to keep going," Link insisted, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow.
When Eagus grew tired, Link carried on by himself, battling through his exhaustion and self-doubt, the latter of which was hardest for Link. Eagus had set up several thick practice logs for him to work with, and Link was determined not to stop until every last one was turned to splinters, even if it took him the whole day. Unbeknownst to him, Fledge had been nearby for much of the time, having been hired by Eagus to sharpen and shine the practice swords, though Link had been so absorbed in his practice that he failed to notice the tall, slender lad sneak by. Fledge peered out of the side room where he worked, observing Link as he trained. After several more long, grueling hours, Link finally retired for the day. After eating a meal alone, he bathed, guzzled another repulsive bottle of red potion, and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep before the sun had even set. Late that night, however, he was stirred from his slumber. From the room next to his, he heard Fledge, and he sounded distressed. Out of concern, Link knocked on the boy's door and peered in. To his surprise, Fledge was on the floor, winded.
"Fledge, what are you doing?" Link inquired, rubbing his heavy eyes.
Fledge sighed and sat up, his head hanging low, which was not out of character for him. Still, Link could see something was bothering his friend. He joined Fledge on the floor and waited quietly, his own gaze downcast. After a couple of minutes, Fledge sighed again.
"I... I want to get stronger," he admitted.
Link raised his brow curiously, beckoning Fledge to continue.
"Listen, Link," he began, worriedly. "I don't know what's going on. No one has seen Zelda since the Wing Ceremony and no one seems to know where she has disappeared to. Her own father won't even say anything... though I haven't exactly worked up the courage to ask him directly." He swallowed harshly. "Then you vanished for nearly two days. When you came back, you were hurt and quiet. Well, quieter than normal." Fledge paused and shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, I saw you practicing at the sparring hall today. The way you pushed yourself and wouldn't quit, well, it inspired me, but it also made me feel like maybe something bad is happening and you're not telling us about it."
Link looked down toward the floor as he absorbed all that Fledge had just confided. Fledge drew in a deep breath and continued.
"If you can sword fight like that through whatever it is you're dealing with, then I should at least be able to do a pushup," he growled lowly. "But I can't even manage that."
The two sat in silence for a time. Link sighed and shook his head, arguing with himself over whether or not to tell Fledge the whole truth. The internal conflict soured his stomach. It pained him to withhold the truth from his friend, especially knowing it could give Fledge some peace of mind. But Gaepora and the professors had been very strict with him. He was to tell no one what was happening to avoid possible panic. There would be no compromise in that regard. However, he did think of a way to help Fledge.
"Show me a pushup," he said, forcing some enthusiasm into his tone.
"What?" Fledge replied, taken aback.
"Show me a pushup," Link repeated.
Fledge did so, hesitantly. He clumsily flopped his long body to the floor and tried with all he had to lift himself. His chest and shoulders were all that left the ground, though barely. Link shuffled beside him and got down to his hands and knees, brushing a lock of his honey-blonde hair away from his eyes.
"For now, keep your knees down and cross your legs," he instructed, modeling the position for Fledge. "It's cheating a bit, but it will help you get started."
Fledge did as he was told.
"Good. Now, lower yourself down... slowly."
Fledge tried, though he hit the floor with a thud. Again, Link carefully and patiently modeled the motion for Fledge.
"You want to lift your shoulders and your abdomen together," he said. "Imagine them as one piece, and keep your back straight."
Fledge tried his best, but arched his back while doing so. He looked toward the sky as if he were in a desperate plea to the pushup gods for help... or perhaps mercy.
"Put your head down," Link instructed pointedly.
Fledge lowered his head.
"Straighten your back."
With some effort, Fledge straightened out and rose from the ground. Link smiled, feeling genuinely glad for his friend.
"Now that is a pushup," Link said encouragingly.
"Oh wow, I really did one!" Fledge exclaimed breathlessly, his long arms trembling terribly.
"You did. Now do nine more."
"What?!"
Link slowly and patiently guided Fledge through the nine pushups, doing his own beside him. After the ninth however, he winced and instinctively grabbed at his side that was now screaming out in pain, startling Fledge. Link sat up slowly, still wincing, and hung his head low for a moment, letting his forearms dangle over his knees.
"Link... are you okay?" Fledge asked sincerely.
"Get some sleep, Fledge," he said quietly, almost in a whisper.
Without another word, he returned to his own room. As the pain subsided, he was able to fall back to sleep, though it was restless at times. The next morning was far more promising than the previous night had been. Link woke and observed that he was no longer plagued by waves of jarring, stabbing pain. It was now little more than a dull ache. The cuts on his lip and chest had also fully healed. He took the stone slab to the Goddess Statue and used it to open the next portal. With that, he soared off on his Loftwing. He thought he had done so without being noticed. However, someone, growing more suspicious by the day, witnessed the whole thing.
